1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the field of the present invention is optical connectors. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical connector and optical connector assembly employing a front fill-port for substantially void-free adhesive insertion.
2. Background
Optical connectors and optical connector assemblies are used to connect devices transmitting one or more optical signals or outputs through a medium such as a waveguide. Often optical fiber waveguides are the transmission medium of choice because of their ease of manufacture and wide applicability across industry. The size and flexibility of optical fibers have made them suitable for use in legacy type connectors such as subminiature version-A (“SMA”) type connectors. However, for connectors supporting high performance requirement optical transmission media and systems, additional design features must be incorporated to allow reasonable reliability and robustness against failure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,125, an optical fiber termination connector is disclosed that includes an elongated structure with a chamber extending therethrough open at both ends, a fiber disposed in the chamber and spaced therefrom, a solid first material disposed in the chamber around the fiber, and an air gap in the chamber around the end of the fiber. An air port is disposed in the lower section of the cylinder to exhaust trapped air in the chamber, and so voids are purposefully created in the chamber. Thus, despite efforts to achieve an optical connector that is reliable and robust against failure, there remains a need for connectors that can overcome the drawbacks of prior art devices.